Skyreach

Content

Lore

Atop the crowning pinnacle of the Spires of Arak, amidst the clouds, Skyreach stands as a seat of power of the Adherents of Rukhmar. The arakkoa have gathered and harnessed the Apexis techonology of their forebears, and now they are ready to unleash the focused power of the sun upon their enemies.

The Skyreach dungeon has arguably the most variety and most difficult set of adds than any other dungeon. Since these initial packs are like a mini boss encounter in and of itself, I will try to explain what you need to watch out for and why.

The Initiate of the Sun which you will find in the first pack, is a healer and his heals should be interrupted. It can also heal a nearby ally to full health with Solar Heal, which is why this add has priority. Herald of the Sun, in the second pack, is also a healer with similar abilities. He will also cast Solar Zone, which causes every enemy to be healed if standing within the zone, and repels any party members from entering.

The Diving Chakram Spinner and the Soaring Chakram Master will both cast out their chakrams which causes damage to players in their path. Try to avoid them as best as you can.

Blooded Bladefeather will do a Piercing Rush in a random player’s direction. This cause high damage! Try to spread out to avoid more players getting hit by it. The Whirling Dervish will summon small tornadoes which can be avoided. They also summon a Storm, which shoots lightning and causes a high amount of damage to players remaining in its zone!

There are two small phoenix-like birds called Solar Familiar and Blinding Solar Flare. Both adds have the ability Flash Bang, which is a blind that affect all players unless interrupted (players can also avoid this ability by turning their backs against the flash). The Solar Familiar will also try to Empower a nearby ally, while the Blinding Solar Flare casts Solar Wrath on players. Solar Wrath causes the Solar Detonation debuff, which is a pulse AoE damage to all nearby allies.

The last pack consists of a Skyreach Overlord with its many Low-Born Arrakoa. The Low-Born Arrakoa can enrage, while the Overlord casts Torn Feathers on them which causes them to be released from any CC, and empowers them.

Ranjit

Ranjit has spent a lifetime honing his skill with the bladed chakram, and found that as his mastery of the traditional arakkoa weapon grew, he could shape the wind itself and wield it against his enemies. He now guards access to the inner sanctum of Skyreach, willing to die to protect the seat of arakkoa power atop the Spires.

List of Abilities

Four Winds (Deadly)The caster creates a massive vortex of wind that moves four trails in either direction. Enemies caught in the vortex suffer Nature damage.

Spinning BladeThe caster summons a spinning blade that will inflict Physical damage to all enemies caught in its path.

Windwall (Important!)Ranjit hurls a Wind Chakram at the location of a random player that creates a spinning Windwall on impact. The Windwall inflicts Nature damage to all enemies caught in its confines.

Piercing Rush (Tank alert)The caster winds up a big attack, inflicting a large amount of Physical damage to their target.

Lens Flare (Deadly) (Heroic)High Sage Viryx now helps Ranjit by calling down a beam of intensely focused sunlight to follow a randomly chosen target. The beam will slowly trail the victim for a short while, causing the ground in its wake to burn all enemies for 35,000 Fire damage every second.

Healing Strategy

The fight against Ranjit is very movement heavy, and I recommend using both Tiger’s Lust and Glyph of Soothing Mist.

His abilities Spinning Blade (throwing his chakram) and Piercing Rush are both abilities we’ve encountered by the trash. These can deal heavy damage to any player caught in their path!

Ranjit will at several points during the fight cast a Wind Chakram. Where the chakram lands, the ability Windwall will erupt, cause two lines of wind slowly rotate. These winds cause heavy Nature damage to players who run through them.

Ranjit also summons a bigger windwall-like ability called Four Winds. This ability has four lines of winds, which rotates around the whole platform. To avoid them, players have to slowly move with the wind to now get caught by its arms.

Four Winds (big) with two Windwalls (small) active

To make things even harder, High Sage Viryx will help out by activating their solar weapon, which do the Lens Flare ability. It is basically a big magnifying glass up on a tower, which fixates a beam of intense sunlight towards a random player. The beam leaves pools of fire in its wake, which is best kited to the edges of the arena, so it doesn’t take up too much of your safe zones.

Fire after Lens Flare

During this fight, players will take very spikey damage if caught in any of Ranjit’s abilities. It will also force you to move quite a lot, which can complicate the healing. Try to move as fast as you can from the abilities and then stand still and heal for as long as you’re allowed.

You can either choose the left or the right pack, it really doesn’t matter. Just try to focus the healer, which is called Adept of the Dawn this time. Just before the boss you’ll also meet an Arcanologist which does some AoE, but isn’t too dangerous.

Araknath

The high arakkoa of Skyreach closely observed the civilization of the draenei, taking a keen interest in the towering Vigiliants that guard their cities and temples. The arakkoa set out to create their own superior version, powered by solar energy – an unwaveringly obedient engine of destruction.

List of Abilities

Smash (Tank alert)The caster smashed the ground, inflicting great Physical damage to all enemies in the area.

Burst (Deadly)Araknath releases a burst of energy that inflicts Fire damage to all enemies within 100 yards. Every time this ability is used, the damage of the next use is increased by 7%.

Energize (Important!)A Sun Construct Prototype reflects incoming light rays at the Arrokoa Sun Construct to heal it for 125% of its maximum health every second. Players can step into the beam to prevent this, but will suffer 15,000 Fire damage every second instead.

Healing Strategy

The second boss in Skyreach has few abilities, but they are very deadly. Araknath will do a hard hitting frontal cone towards its target. The tank can avoid this if she’s light on her feet.

In periods he’ll cast Burst, which does unavoidable AoE damage. This ability become stronger for each time he does it, and at third or fourth time it hits it is most likely fatal. Araknath needs to die before he casts Bursts strong enough to one-shot the party.

He will awaken several Skyreach Sun Construct Prototypes, which will try to heal him. These constructs stand scattered at the outer edges of the arena, and their ability Energize is in the form of a beam towards the boss. This beam will heal the boss very quickly, unless intercepted. Players must stand in the beams path to avoid Araknath getting healed. However, as players intercept the beam, they’ll take high ticking damage. Personal cooldowns are warmyl recommended.

Energize beams

Serpent Tactics

Burst will do high party damage, and will increase in strength the more times he does it.

Pop Revival or Xuen on second or third Burst.

Don’t get caught by Smash.

Players who stand in Smash or intercept Energize will need extra healing.

Before Rukrhan, you’ll meet a large pack of Skyreach Sun Talons. These can quickly overwhelm the party, since each stack of Expose Weakness they apply on their targets will cause them to take more and more damage. They will also fixate on random players and cause high damage. Stun them as much as possible, and maybe even pop a healing cooldown.

The pack just before the boss consists of a Raven Whisperer with its Raven Hatchlings. The Whisperer can empower the hatchlings, and should be prioritized.

Rukrhan

This majestic bird, rumoured to be the progeny of the arakkoa sun-god Rukhmar, soars through the skies above the Spires of Arak. Rukhran has an affinity for solar energy, and can absorb the sun’s power and unleash it to incinerate any pray.

List of Abilities

Pierce Armor (Healer alert) (Tank alert)The caster’s next attack pierces the target’s armor for great Physical damage. Victims of this attack are affected by Pierce Armor.

Pierced Armor (Tank alert)Pierces the victim’s armor, causing them to receive 30% more damage to Pierce Armor for each application of Pierced Armor.
This effect will not apply to tanks using their active mitigation.

Summon Solar Flare (Important!)Inflicts 60,000 Fire damage to all enemies within 5 yards of the impact.
Any Piles of Ash within 5 yards of the explosion are reanimated as a Solar Flare.

Sunstrike (Deadly)The caster explodes, inflicting 160,000 Fire damage to all enemies within 10 yards, and 85,000 Fire damage to all enemies outside 10 yards. The explosion forced the caster to go dormant.
Any Piles of Ash within 5 yards of the caster will activate.

SunburstThe caster explodes, inflicting 25,000 Fire damage to all enemies within 10 yards. The explosion forces the caster to go dormant.
Any Piles of Ash within 5 yards of the caster will activate.

Quills (Deadly) (Heroic)Inflicts 30,000 Physical damage to all enemies in the area and increases damage taken from Screech and Quills by 10%.

Screech (Deadly)Inflicts 20,000 Physical damage to all enemies in the area and increases damage taken from Screech and Quills by 10%.

Healing Strategy

This fight has two important components: reacting to Rukrahns deadly attacks and handling the summoned Solar Flares.

Firstly, the Solar Flares look like small phoenixes. If they are killed upon an Ash pile, they will summon even more Solar Flares (see Solar Burst). They will also fixate on a target and explode upon contact (Solar Strike), also reviving nearby Ash piles. You will have to kite it and then kill it in a safe spot away from the piles of ash. If killed upon several piles of ashes, a deadly domino effect could cause them to explode endlessly (since they become a new pile of ash when they die, then the next one dies and revives the first and so forth).

Several piles of ashes

Rukran will meanwhile try to stack Pierced Armor on the tank, which can become dangerous unless the tank uses active mitigation. The boss will also do an ability called Screech, which will cause players to take 10% more damage from both Screech and Rukhran’s next ability called Quills.

Quills is a big AoE effect which does high ticking damage. To avoid this ability, run behind the centre pillar and hide there during its effect.

Common points of failure in this fight is if there Solar Flares are killed upon the piles of ash and just keep summoning more and more Solar Flares. Players who stand in the Quills ability are also likely to die unless they pop a personal cooldown (it’s physical damage, which means Diffuse Magic won’t work, but Dampen Harm will).

Serpent Tactics

Kite Solar Flares if you’re fixated.

Tank will take high damage if affected by too many Piercing Armor.

When Rukhran does Quills, hide behind the centre pillar.

Crane Tactics (optional)

Kill Solar Flares far away from any piles of ash.

Don’t get close to them however if you’re fixated.

Trash up to High Sage Viryx

Solar Magnifier – Empower, Solar Pulse (frontal cone)

Defence Construct – Protective Barrier (shield)

Radiant Supernova – Solar Detonation

Life-Pact Familiar – Life Pact

Grand Defence Construct – Slam, Burn

Before you engage the next set of trash, you have to do a small obstacle course in the form of a wind maze.

The green path is safe, while the red areas have strong wind currents that pushes you the wrong way.

When you have finished the maze, you’ll meet a pack of familiar enemies. The Magnifier is new however, and he will try to empower allies if he isn’t interrupted (a channelled spell). He will also do a frontal cone ability called Solar Pulse.

In the next room, you can choose to go left or right. If you choose to go left, you’ll meet enemies you have encountered before. To the right there are some new types however. The Defence Construct will cast shields on his allies and the Radiant Supernova will cast Solar Detonation on the whole party (spread, spread, spread). The little familiar has only one ability: when the Radiant Supernova is about to die, this add does Life Pact and heals the Supernova back to full health.

The last add before the boss is a Grand Defence Construct. It deals heavy party damage with Slam and heavy damage on the tank with Burn.

High Sage Viryx

High Sage Viryx has dedicated her rule wholly to harnessing Apexis artefacts in service of Rukhmar’s will. At last, thanks to the completion of the massive crystal superweapon that focuses the sun’s energy to destroy enemies, it is time for the arakkoa to claim their rightful place as rulers of Draenor.

List of Abilities

Cast Down (Deadly) (DPS alert)High Sage Viryx summons a Solar Zealot to grab a player and throw them over the balcony.

Lens Flare (Important!)The caster calls down a beam of intensely focused sunlight to follow a randomly chosen target. The beam will slowly trail the victim for a short while, causing the ground in its wake to burn all enemies for 35,000 Fire damage every second.

Healing Strategy

Solar Zealot carrying a player

Viryx has some familiar abilities we have gotten to know through the trash. Lens Flare makes a comeback and will target random players and leave pools of fire on the ground, again. Viryx will also cast Solar Burst on his target, which does very high damage.

High Sage Viryx will at some points during the fight call down a Solar Zealot that will pick up a random player, and slowly move towards the end of the balcony. Unless the Zealot is killed, he will throw the player off the balcony. DPS should switch to this enemy immediately. Also note that the player who is grabbed by the Zealot can also damage it!

Viryx also calls down Shield Constructs, which will try to shield Viryx that’s basically impenetrable. The Construct’s cast must be interrupted to avoid this, then quickly killed.

Serpent Tactics

Kite Lens Flare to avoid the damage it does.

The tank will take heavy damage during this encounter.

Crane Tactics

Enter Crane stance once a player is targeted by Cast Down.

Help stun and kill the Solar Zealot before it throws the player off the balcony.

If you’re picked up by the Zealot, you can damage it and quickly kill it with Touch of Death.